21 kids injured as truck hits Louisiana school bus

OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi (Reuters) - A large truck crashed into a school bus in southern Louisiana on Friday critically injuring three children and forcing emergency workers to evacuate 18 others to hospital, authorities said.

The accident happened in the early morning on U.S. route 190 between Opelousas and Port Barre as the children were boarding the bus, said Louisiana state trooper Stephen Hammon in a telephone interview.

"The driver of the school bus still had the red lights and the stop sign activated on the bus when the 18-wheeler struck," Hammon said, adding that it was unknown whether the driver was exceeding the road's 65 mph speed limit.

Both drivers were also injured, Hammon said. The school bus driver is also the mayor of Port Barre. Both drivers submitted to toxicology tests but results are not yet available.

(Reporting by Leigh Coleman; editing by Matthew Bigg and Greg McCune)